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Sandra Fluke introduces President Barak Obama at the Auraria Event Center in Denver, Colorado in 2012. On Wednesday, Fluke announced her candidacy for California State Senate instead of running for U.S. Congress.

Sandra Fluke Announces Run for California State Senate

By Andrew Rafferty

Women’s rights activist Sandra Fluke announced Wednesday that she has decided to run for a California State Senate seat, reversing a previous move toward making a run for U.S. Congress.

“My entire career has been devoted to the public interest, whether representing victims of human trafficking or advocating for working families,” Fluke said in a statement. “I am committed to continuing that fight in Sacramento.”

The Democratic lawyer heavily considered running for the Congressional seat that will be vacated after Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Cali., retires at the end of the year. Fluke was one of three Democratic candidates who filed paperwork seeking the state party’s endorsement in what was expected to be a hard fought primary.

Fluke was catapulted into the national spotlight in 2012 after conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called a “slut” after she delivered a Congressional testimony in support of mandatory health care insurance coverage for contraception.

NBC's Michael O'Brien contributed to this report.

First published February 5 2014, 7:33 AM

Andrew Rafferty

Andrew Rafferty has been a political reporter for NBCNews.com since 2013. Rafferty writes and reports on politics for the web, and shoots and produces video for all NBC platforms.

Prior to joining NBCNews.com, Rafferty was a campaign reporter covering the 2012 presidential election. Rafferty was on the road for both the Republican primaries and general election, providing content for both the web and television.

Rafferty began at NBC News through a fellowship at "Meet The Press."

He is from Buffalo, N.Y., and attended John Carroll University in Ohio.